


The Wow Factor

by wolfofwinterfell



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Christmas contest at Hogwarts, F/M, Gift Fic, potions galore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-09
Updated: 2020-09-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:41:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26368099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfofwinterfell/pseuds/wolfofwinterfell
Summary: Horace Slughorn has organized hundreds of parties in his life, but this one just doesn't want to come off. How is that?
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Severus Snape
Comments: 4
Kudos: 46





	The Wow Factor

Horace Slughorn had organized  _ hundreds _ of parties in his life. There’d been the small ones of his youth, infrequent get togethers to celebrate something in a friend’s life, parties for the Slug Club, big bashes for New Years and everything in between. And he’d never had a problem pulling one off until now. 

He sighed and looked down at his desk for what must have been the dozenth time that afternoon, trying to figure out what he was missing. The party was in two days - Christmas Eve - and he wanted it to be perfect. Just as he was about to start going down his checklist again, he heard a knock on his door, and he waved his wand to open it. 

“I do hope we aren’t bothering you, Horace.” Minerva McGonagall swept into his office, Hermione Granger just behind her, and the two women sat down on the other side of his desk. “We just came by to see what we could do to help you.” 

“No, no, Minerva.” The robust wizard waved his hand and settled back in his chair. “It’s almost all settled.” 

“Almost?” In her seat, Hermione raised a brow. His tone seemed anything but certain about that. “Please, let us do  _ something _ !” 

“Alright, alright….” He was hesitant, but after another moment of deliberation he pushed his list toward the two women. “Here’s everything.”

Hermione began scanning the parchment immediately. The list of invitations was done, as was a list of food and drinks to have available as refreshments. A band was booked - albeit one that Hermione had not heard of - and there was even a section of the list that detailed all the decorations and party favors that would be available. But there was nothing there that would make the party unique; all of Slughorn’s staff parties looked like this and frankly, Hermione was tired of it. 

“Professor Slughorn-”   


“Horace, please,” Slughorn interrupted her. “I think you’ve earned the right to call me that after all these years.” 

“Horace, then.” She gave him a small smile and then started again. “You’re wanting something else for your party, aren’t you? Something that makes it different this year than what it’s been in the past.” 

Leaning forward in his chair, he nodded his head. “Yes, something is just off. I want something....incredible.” 

“A wow factor, if you will?” 

“Yes!” 

Hermione picked up a quill and wrote at the bottom of the parchment.  _ Potion making contest. _

Before she passed it back to Slughorn, McGonagall peered over her shoulder and gave an approving nod. “I don’t know how well you’ll like the idea, but I think the rest of the staff would enjoy seeing that.”

“Why I think this is an excellent proposal, Hermione!” His face lit up. “But who would take part? All the staff? Or volunteers, perhaps?”

“No, I was thinking a rather smaller selection…” She smiled mischievously. “As the potions master, you’re an obvious participant.” 

“And the other? Or...others, dare I say?” 

“Severus.” 

“Snape?! No!” Slughorn fell back in his seat. “Hermione, I cannot!” 

“Of course you can!” Hermione smiled, amused. “Who else would we have?” 

He sputtered for a moment and then leaned forward again, looking at her with a renewed excitement in his face. “You! And I will judge the contest, of course! Who better to judge than the potions professor, after all?” 

* * *

Severus shook his head a little as he stepped back to his cauldron, glad that the potion they’d chosen only had to sit for half an hour before they could come back to it; he wanted to be done. He hadn’t particularly enjoyed the first part of the brewing and knew he wouldn’t like the second half much either - he wasn’t in the habit of following the textbook. 

The first half had practically been mindless. Take one piece of bicorn horn and crush it into a fine powder, then add two pinches to the cauldron. Follow it with mandrake root, put the heat to medium for ten seconds, and then leave it to brew for thirty minutes. Now came the slightly trickier part, although he gladly admitted that this was the part he liked better. 

“And back to it, Professors!” Slughorn was standing in the space before the two tables that they were brewing on, looking smug as he watched the procedures at his party. “Let the brewing commence!” 

Hermione nodded at him and he returned the gesture, then they each began grabbing their ingredients to add them to their cauldrons. They were working on Christmas Pepper-Up Potions, which was not what Severus had expected to be chosen tonight. He’d thought something harder would have been selected, but he wasn’t going to complain. 

“Severus, can you pass the thyme?” Hermione wiped her brow and looked over at him. He handed it over with his left hand as he added some of the herb to his own potion with his right, stirring four times clockwise. “Thank you.” 

All the other professors were silent. 

Next each of them added evergreen, cinnamon, and sage, stirring appropriately. Severus knew what Hermione would be doing next and in what order, and his fingers itched to do the same. He sighed heavily as he looked back to the textbook instead, however, and added five drops of salamander blood to his potion as it asked for. He stirred two times anti-clockwise, then began adding the four fire seeds, making sure only one was added at a time and sticking to three seconds between each seed. Finally, he added a pinch of wildwood and stepped away as Hermione did the same. 

The potions needed to set for one minute before they were done, and nobody spoke a word until Slughorn stepped forward when the minute was over. 

“My dear colleagues, the moment has come to test our two potions! They’ve each brewed for us a Christmas Pepper-Up Potion, which is similar in brewing to the regular pepper-up potion you are all familiar with. However, there is a difference in this one; there is still steam, but this is not just for colds. This potion is supposed to do that as well as bottle up all of our Christmas cheer.” 

There was a round of applause and as he waited for it to be over, Slughorn gestured for the two professors to pour a sample of their potions for him. 

Severus handed his to the potions master first, watching as he threw it back quickly and with an expression of distaste. He knew it didn’t taste spectacular and couldn’t help the slight twitch of his mouth as Slughorn set his vial down. 

“Not bad, Severus… But let us see what Hermione has whipped up for us!” Slughorn was notably more excited about her potion, and everyone there knew why. The two men didn’t exactly hide their dislike for each other, particularly after Severus had been named Head of House for Slytherin again. 

Hermione’s potion went down easier and Slughorn was noticeably happier when he set down that vial, despite the steam coming out of his ears. 

“I think we have a winner, my fellows!” He leaned forward and pulled Hermione up next to him as everyone gave her a round of applause and cheers. “To Miss Granger! Do you have any words for us all to celebrate your victory?”

“I do, actually.” She looked nervous but smiled as Severus raised his empty vial to her as she looked around the rest of the staff. “Textbooks are good to use as aids, but you shouldn’t solely rely on them when teaching. We’ve all been talking on this subject for a while, but this  _ proves  _ it once and for all. Nobody knows that better than Severus, but some of you have been more dense than others just because he’s been the primary one trying to show you.” 

Slughorn looked flustered, his cheeks turning the slightest bit pink. “Miss Granger, I don’t think anyone is actually discounting what he has been saying.” 

“Oh really, sir?” Hermione crossed her arms in front of her. “Do you really think I could outbrew him on any normal day?” 

“Well, you’ve been called the brightest witch of your age by many! Surely that is not a mistake…” 

“He brewed directly from the textbook tonight.” Slughorn was turning even more pink as Hermione continued. “And I brewed from his own directions.”

At that, Slughorn turned toward Severus, his expression incredulous. “You mean to say that you fixed this?” 

“In more ways than one.” Severus’s lips twitched as he held out an arm for Hermione. “Merry Christmas, Horace.”

And there was only one thing Horace Slughorn could think in that moment.  _ Wow _ .

**Author's Note:**

> This was written last year for cabepfir @ LiveJournal.


End file.
